Tack or nail driving implement



(No Model.)

D. O EBERHART. TACK 0R NAIL DRIVING IMPLEMENT.

N0. 538,508. Patented Apr. 30, 1895.

Inventor.

Witnesses:

Attorney.

UNITED- STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DAVID EBERIIAR'I, OF SHREWSBURY, PENNSYLVANIA.

TACK OR NAIL DRIVING IMPLEMENT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 538,508, dated April 30, 1895. Application filed February 19, 1 895. Serial No. 538,989. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it- .known that I, DAVID O. EBERHART, a citizen of the United States, residing at Shrewsbury, in the county of York and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tack or Nail Driving Implements, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to tools or implements for driving tacks or nails, and has for its object to provide an improved device which, will not only quickly and effectually perform the driving operation, but which will at the same time hold the tack or nail in position to receive the driving blow, thereby avoiding any danger of injury to the fingers of the operator as is frequently the case in the use of the ordinary driving hammer. This object I accomplish in the manner and by the means hereinafter described and claimed, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved device. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional View of the same, the central driving-plunger being shown in full lines; and Fig. 3 is a detail view of the springs for retracting the plunger and for retaining the tack-holding jaws in their closed position.

Similar letters of reference denote corresponding parts in the several views.

In the said drawings the letter A indicates the tack or nail driving plunger, the same being circular in cross section and having a flat or slightly concaved lower end to impinge against the tack or nail to be driven. A suitable head B of enlarged area is attached to the top end thereof to receive the blow from the hand of the operator or other source of power. 7

0 indicates the two jaws for holding the tack to be driven, the same'being pivoted together about midway of their length by pivot.

pins D passing through suitable lugs or ears projecting from the sides of said jaws. The

formed into coils e at their lower ends for a' purpose hereinafter to be described.

A spiral spring F surrounds the plunger A and is engaged at its upper end therewith through the medium of the pin G passing through said plunger and projecting from the surface thereof. The lower end of this spring is engaged with the springs E preferably by bending the free end of the spiral spring F and passing it through the coil 6 of one of said springs E, while a clamp H serves to connect the coil in the other spring E with the lower coil of the spiral spring F. I wish it tobe understood, however, that 1 do not limit myself to the described means for connecting the springs E and F, as it may be accomplished in any other suitable manner.

The operation of my device is as follows: The jaws O are pressed together at their upper ends and the tack or nail to be driven inserted between the lower open ends of the same, and the upper ends then released, whereupon the head of the tack or nail will be securely grasped by the said jaws and retained in the grooves c. The point.- of the tack or nail is then applied to the object into which it is to be driven, and the required pressure applied to the head of the plunger A, thus causing it to descend and strike upon the head of the tack or nail thereby driving the same.

The plunger in descending presses against the shoulders 0' thus forcing the jaws apart sufficiently to release the head of the tack or nail. The spring F serves to retract the plunger to its normal position in the jaws C after the blow has been struck.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a tack or nail driving implement, the

combination with a driving plunger, and tack or nail holding jaws, of a spring for retracting said plunger, and springs for normally retaining the jaws in their holding position, said springs being connected together, substantially as shown and described.

2. In a tack or nail driving implement, the

having grooves in their lower ends to receive and retain the head of the tack or nail and shoulders above said grooves against which the plunger Will press as it descends to force 15 apart the jaws sufliciently to release the tack or nail, substantially as shown and described.

DAVID C. EBERI'IART. Vitnesses:

BENJAMIN F. KOLLER, PETER A. SMALL. 

